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Drummers unite!!! (1 Viewer)

Tim Hoover

Screenwriter
Joined
May 27, 2001
Messages
1,422
After all the threads having to do with guitars, I thought I'd do something different. Now it's time to recognize the guy in the back who holds the whole thing together. Tired of guitarists getting all the glory? Well, speak up here and tell us what you've got! Tell about your equipment, dream equipment, and other percussion doodads.

I'll start with what I have:

Pearl Masters MRX 5-piece kit in transparent black

Pearl 10x8 maple soprano snare - oh yeah! my favorite snare!

Pearl 13x3 steel piccolo snare

Pearl 13x3 brass piccolo snare - my favorite piccolo

Ludwig 14x5.5 Acrolite snare

Zildjian A 10" and 12" splashes

Zildjian A 20" Ping ride - another personal favorite

Zildjian A 14" New Beat hi-hats

Zildjian A Custom 16" crash - stupendously great cymbal!

Zildjian K 14" mini china w/rivets - very annoying and great

Paiste 18" Sound Formula thin china

Paiste 18" Dimensions med. thin crash

Sabian 21" Wil Calhoun ambient ride - dry and spooky

assorted wood blocks, chimes, cowbells, and tambourines

Now, if only I could save up for a Brady jarrah snare. It only costs about $1500!
 

Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm

Supporting Actor
Joined
Apr 7, 1999
Messages
901
Jeez, after your list I'm ashamed of my little rig... Gimme a break, I just got started a couple years ago.

Mapex Venus Voyager 5-piece bebop kit (black)

Zildjian ZBT 14" hi-hats (pretty weak)

Zildjian ZBT 20" ride (average)

Zildjian ZBT 16" crash (awful)

Sabian B8 10" splash (best bang-for-the-buck in the whole kit)

Paiste Innovations 16" short crash (just added Wednesday--kick-butt)

Rancan 12" China

Handmade djembe from Senegal

Cheapo tunable bongos

Various cowbells, shakers, claves, guiros, etc.
 

Mike Main

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
98
Dang I just started taking lessons 3 months ago. But I have a spot picked out in my basement for my set.

--Mike
 

Tim Hoover

Screenwriter
Joined
May 27, 2001
Messages
1,422
Aaahhh, the Rancan china. Those things are classics!
Andrew, how do you like your Mapex kit? I saw a Voyager w/ 8, 10, 12, and 14-inch toms and was thinking about getting it.
Oh, and that's not all the gear. I still have an old pair of ZBT hi-hats which sound fantastic when recorded. They have about 5 years of dirt on them which I think helps :) In addition I have some various cracked cymbals which I salvaged from the trash dump. They make great sci-fi effects sounds. I also have a Pearl Export Select kit that I take on the road. The Masters DO NOT leave the house!
Djembes are also great. I have a little 12" Remo djembe that is fantastic. Also, check out an odd little thing called the Remo Spring Drum. Mine is 4" diameter and 10" long and has a 3-foot spring coming out the bottom. When you shake them, they make a wind noise. Very cool! Unfortunately, I can't play all the percussion doodads I would like. Our band also has an actual percussionist who plays mostly bongos but also handles the odd stuff.
This kind of thing is why my HT suffers. If you think home theater is expensive, try buying drums!
 

Mark C Sherman

Second Unit
Joined
May 14, 2001
Messages
300
"CAN YOU ALL TYPE A LITTLE LOUDER I CAN'T HEAR YOU":D
here is my set(acoustic)
Yamaha power customs
8" concert tom
10" Concert tom
12" mounted Tom
14" Mounted Tom
16" Floor tom
14" Ludwig with a 42 Strand snare on the Bottom(loud)
22" bass
all Remo Clear Heads
Cymbals
14" Zildjian New Beats
16" Sabian Crash AA
14" Sabian Crash AA
16" Zildjian Crash A custom
20" Zildjian Ride Z power ride Custom (just Got it):emoji_thumbsup:
18" Paiste Color sound China (Black) The band calls it the EVIL ONE. It loud its trashy it perfect
8" splash Zildjian A
12" Slash Sabian AA
Dw 5000 Double pedal
Lp Cow Bell (for those Funk Beats)
Promark 5B sticks wood tip
and of Course ear Plugs (My drum Room at my studio reaches up to 130db)
Q what does 7-11 Coffee and Ginger Baker Have in common?
A The Both Suck with out cream
 

Brad_W

Screenwriter
Joined
Sep 18, 2001
Messages
1,358
Here I go:

1. Pearl Presteige Session Select series 5-piece.

2. John Robbinson Signature Series 14-inch Piccolo Snare.

3. Pearl rack.

4. DW 5000 Double pedals.

5. Pearl throne.

6. LP light tempo block.

7. LP heavy tempo block.

8. LP cowbell.

9. LP tambourine.

10. Zildjian 18" china.

11. Sabian 16" heavy crash.

12. Sabian 16" medium crash.

13. Paiste 20" Rock Ride.

14. Paiste hi hats.

15. Sabian 10" Splash.

16. Sabian 10" China Splash.

17. Promark sticks

18. RIT Drums drum bags with velvet lining.

I've had my drumset in storage for over a year now, hence the general descriptions. Luckily I am starting a band soon so I will be playing again. After 10 years of drumming it was hard not to be playing for that year; my excitement for playing again saturates me.
 

dougW

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 14, 2000
Messages
241
Original set of double bass Pearl (candy apple red) with hardshellcases, (By original, I mean the first set of Pearls to hit Knoxville, in probably 1973), trap case, assorted cymbols, Rogers Dynasonic snare, Ghost pedals. (Bear with me here, going from memory on some of this!

Yes, I still own my drums, though they are in the cases at present. Yes, it hurts. Used to have a rock band through last 2 years of high school and first year or so of college. We finally went our seperate ways, and that was it for my organized band experience.

Lex
 

John_Bonner

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 25, 2000
Messages
664
Aaaaahhhh! This thread is making me salivate to buy a new acoustic kit. I sold my Yamaha/Zildjian setup about 4 years ago when I quit the "band scene". I still have my electronic kit which I use for practice and rehearsals. Here's the breakdown of that kit:

• Alesis D4 Drum Module

• Gibraltar modular rack system

• 5 Dauz drum trigger pads

• 2 Roland PD-7 drum trigger pads

• 1 Roland PD-31 drum trigger pad (4 zone)

• Hi-hat footswitch

• Drum Tech Bass drum pedal

• Calzone Rack Bag

It's fun for practicing/jamming and it actually sounds great through a PA system. I've been teaching my 3 yr old and this kit is great since it's so easy to move/adjust the racks and pads.

I hope to put together an acoustic kit within the next year or two. It's been so long since I've played acoustic I'm not sure what brand I'd go with. I really loved the Yamaha's and I've been a big Tama fan also. As for cymbals, I've always been a Zildjian guy but I would like to check out the Mike Portnoy Sabian Max stax that he used on the "Liquid Dream Theater" video.
 

John Besse

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jun 22, 2000
Messages
570
Location
Trinity, FL
Real Name
John
Ahhh, you guys are nothing until you have Mike Portnoy's kit from Dream Theater
siam640wide.jpg

This thing is huge!!! I can barely handle a small 5 peice kit!
 

Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm

Supporting Actor
Joined
Apr 7, 1999
Messages
901
Andrew, how do you like your Mapex kit? I saw a Voyager w/ 8, 10, 12, and 14-inch toms and was thinking about getting it.
I freaking LOVE it. I got it for a song at Mars when they were discontinuing the Voyager in the Venus series. It has since re-appeared in the V-series, which is supposed to be higher-end, but I think it's essentially the same kit for more money.

The kick has a lot more punch than an 18" usually does, especially once you replace the factory head with a nice Aquarian. I'm still having a hard time miking it, though; I don't have a lot of experience recording drums. The toms are 8, 10, and 12--yes, that's a 12-inch floor tom. The 12 sounds much bigger than it looks, and the 10 is also nice. The 8 is kind of problematic; it's so small that it's hard to tune and harder still to use. I have tried tuning it as low as possible, but can't get much sound out of it. Lately, I've removed the bottom head and tuned it higher to get more of a timbale/roto-tom sound. But it ends up being more of an effects drum than a real usable tom. That's fine by me; I've seen a lot of great drummers play 4-piece kits. My drum credo in general is "less is more."

The real gem of the kit is the 12x6" snare, which is worth the cost of the entire set. Great tone, very flexible tuning. It can sing like a piccolo or cut through like a fat rock snare, and has a multitude of voices across the head. Actually, I bought the snare first, played that by itself for about a year, then bought the rest of the kit that it came from. (I traded in the newer snare for some hardware).

I couldn't be more pleased with it. Obviously, being a little bebop kit, it's not something you can really use for heavy metal. But for the more pop/hip-hop/funk/acoustic applications it has been great. I just wish it wasn't black. I hate black drums.
 

Nick_G

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 16, 2000
Messages
67
i've had my share of sets over the years. my first set (1965) was a Ludwig 4 piece kit in Pink Champagne Sparkle. during the years i had it i added another floor tom, then another kick and rack...DAMN i wish i hadn't sold that set!!
in 1978 i got a Rogers kit with "memriloc" hardware --
24" kick, 14",15", 16", 18" toms, Gold finish (though it looks more like orange than gold). i STILL have this set. in fact i just used it on new years eve for a reunion gig with my old band. (only the 2nd time we have played in the last 5 years, so it was fun)
in the 80's i had two Tama kits. one Superstar set in cherrywood finish, and one Granstar in that "hot pink" finish that was popular on those sets. sold both of those sets.
in 1990 i got an endorsement with Mapex. this was when they first came out and they were distributed my Midco out of Effingham IL. in fact i got to meet and talk with Billy Cobham shortly after this when he was endorsing Mapex at the time. it was also kinda neat to see my name in articles about Mapex endorsers (since they were new at the time) with guys who were endorsing Mapex like Buddy Miles and the drummer who was with Marshall Tucker Band at the time (can't remember his name).
this set is still my main set.
Mapex Orion Series - all maple shells
24" kick
10", 12", 14" rack toms
16" floor tom
6-1/2 x 14" snare (this is probably THE BEST sounding snare i have ever owned!!)
plus i have a hammered bronze 6-1/2 x 14 Ludwig w/die cast hoops (my second all time favorite snare)
8 x 14 Ludwig wood snare
6-1/2 x 14 Ludwig wood snare, Gold sparkle. i think it is dated about 1967.
i don't really consider my self an endorser anymore since i have pretty much given up the business for a "real" job over the last couple of years. in fact i haven't had ANY dealings with Mapex since they were moved to their Tennessee facility so nobody there probably even knows who the heck i am anyway!! :D
i was also lucky to have endorsements with Vic Firth and Aquarian Drumheads. i endorsed Aquarian for about 2 years then switched to Attack Heads since the company who makes them (Universal Percussion) owns "The Drum Shop" (in Struthers, Ohio) that i have done business with since 1976. they asked me to try them out see if i liked them. i haven't used any other heads since then. much better than remo in my opinion. of course Evans makes great heads too.
i never got a cymbal endorsement though. personally i am a Paiste guy 1000%. over the years i have used a variety of 2002, signature, sound formula, rude, and 2000 series. i haven't used Zildjian in years and i've never used Sabian. call me what you will after this remark, but it seems like guys who use Zildjian just seem to have this smug attitude about it. why??? i have no idea, but it's like they look down on you if you don't use them. and i have noticed this with a LOT of drummers.
my 16 year old son who plays now is also Paiste lover. he does NOT like Zildjians at all.
of course i would like to own a LOT of different sets. DW, some Ludwig Vistalite sets. old vintage sets and some of the newer "custom" type sets. in fact i would like to get another Ludwig set in Pink Champagne since they brought that finish back a couple of years ago. i wouldn't mind having one big room just filled with different sets.
so even though i don't really play anymore, i still love drums!!
well, that's my contribution to the thread. fellow drummers....UNITE!!!!!
 

Rutledge

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 28, 2001
Messages
93
Nick_G,

I saw Billy Cobham in 1989 or 1990 at a drum clinic. I can't remember which set he was playing but his cymbals were really metallic and harsh sounding. Fortunately he stayed off of them and hardly hit them all night. Maybe he didn't like them either.

He was amazing. He really talked about rudiments. His snare playing was great, as was his double bass stuff.

I currently own a Ludwig standard 5 piece set from 1967. It is blue.

In 1990 I bought and sold a Yamaha Power V set. It was a 9 piece double bass. These were made out of Mahogany and just didn't have the tone that the birch sets had.

A good dvd to see some great playing is "Journey 2001".

Deen Castronovo is now their drummer and he has got some seriously fast feet.
 

Nick_G

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 16, 2000
Messages
67
Rutledge -- around that time Cobham could have been playing a Tempus set. i think they were made in Canada and were a fiberglass composite shell. they looked like they were really nice drums, but apparently the company never took off cause i haven't seen them on the scene in quite a while.

also around that time, give or take a year, Cobham was endorsing Meinl cymbals and they had a Cobham signature series. he was tired of not getting the support he wanted from Zildjian so he left them for Meinl. I never heard that particular series but from what I saw of the cymbals in magazine reviews, they looked a little different. i think they all had a flanged edge instead of being completely bowed like most cymbals. I wish I could have had a set of those cymbals just for collector's value.

he was amazing to watch though. i would look at him thinking "how the hell did he do THAT??!!!"
 

Rutledge

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 28, 2001
Messages
93
Nick,

I remember when it was. December 1989. Meinl is correct. The had a darker color to them than the Zildjians. They sounded a lot like the Z Zildjians. Only worse. Nobody

at the clinic liked them. I won a Ludwig snare in a raffle and Billy signed the batter head. I sold it with the Yamaha set.

I think Billy played a Premier set that they had there. It was the same set that Rod Morganstein played when he came to Charleston.

Billy really impressed with his independence which was hard to follow it was so complex.

One guy who I really liked was Roy Burns of Aquarian. He was a fantastic player who would do these rolls over his cymbals that was really cool.

I was fortunate to also see Carmine Appice who brought a guitar and bass player.

Rod Morganstein twice.

That guy who used to play with Nelson. I was really surprised with his playing.
 

Chris Madalena

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 6, 2001
Messages
126
Sonor Designer Maple Lite kit in stain green finish.

8x8, 8x10, 8x12, 12x14, 13x15 toms, 16x22 kick drum, Designer 5x14 maple snare in stain green (autographed on the inside by Steve Smith) 6 1/2x14 Designer maple in birdseye finish. (Also have 4x14 Signature bronze snare, 4x14 Sonor feromanganese snare, 3.25x14 Yamaha brass snare.) All Sonor Designer hardware, DW Delta 2 double pedal, 5 Shure SM98 mics, 1 Shure Beta56 mic, 1 Shure Beta52 mounted inside kick drum w/May System.

Zildjian cymbals: (main)

2 6" A Custom splashes

1 8" A custom splash

8" A Custom splash mounted on top of a 12" EFX Piggyback cymbal

13" K hats

13" K hi hat top/14" K mini china (remote hats)

16,17,18 A Custom Crashes

20" K Medium Ride

6" Zilbell

Also own 16,17,18 K Custom crashes, 2 20" K Custom rides, 20" K Custom Dry ride, 13" K/Z hats, 10 & 12" A Custom splashes.

Also have 9x10, 10x12 Designer Series toms to match, but don't use much.

The kit has been played by Steve Smith 3 times. It was a dream come true and a honor for me. We still talk on occasion. Very nice man.
 

Philip Hamm

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 23, 1999
Messages
6,874
How can you tell there's a drummer at your door? The knocking speeds up.
How can you tell the stage is level? There's drool coming out of both sides of the drummer's mouth.
A man walks into a store and goes to the counter. He tells the storekeeper "I've seen guitarrists getting all the girls, and it's time for me to get some of that action; I want to play guitar. Give me the best guitar you have in the store and a good loud amp to go with it. I want to rock the house and drive the girls crazy!"
The storekeeper nods, knowingly and asks "You're a drummer, aren't you?"
"Why, yes, how did you know?"
"This is a paint shop."
 

Tim Hoover

Screenwriter
Joined
May 27, 2001
Messages
1,422
What's the difference between a drummer and a drum machine? You only have to punch the info into a drum machine once.
Did you hear about the bass player who locked his keys in his car? It took him 3 hours to get the drummer out.
And now, just to even things out a bit:
What do a guitarist and a vacuum cleaner have in common? They both suck when you plug them in. :)
You know Chris, I also have a 6" Zilbel somewhere around here. I'd forgotten all about it!
 

Chris Madalena

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 6, 2001
Messages
126
Tim,

I don't use the Zilbell too much. It kind of sounds like a boxing ring bell. I really wish Zildjian would make a cupchime like Paiste does.
 

Kevin Potts

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 17, 2001
Messages
328
Damn, I almost forgot about this thread.

My Kit:

Vintage 5pc Ludwig - restored, recovered and retrofitted to my own liking.

12"x8" tom

13"x9" tom

16"x16" floor tom

14" supraphonic snare - looking for a replacement.

14"x22" kick drum

Pearl DR500 rack system with Gilbraltar Boom Cymbal Arms

Yamaha 700 series HH stand

Yamaha 700 series double bass pedal

15" Zildjian A Custom Crash

16" Zildjian A Custom Crash

18" Zildjian A Custom Crash

16" Zildjian Medium Crash

16" Sabian China

20" Zildjian A Custom Projection Ride

14" Sabian El Sabor High Hats

Roc'n'Soc Bicylce Seat Throne w/back

Vic Firth 5A wood tip sticks

Remo Pinstripes on the toms

Remo Ambassador Coated on the snare

Remo Powerstoke 3 system on the kick
 

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